Energy and Petroleum CS Opiyo Wandayi [3RD R] in Mombasa on Friday / BRIAN OTIENO

Energy and Petroleum Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi has warned those he accuses of frustrating government projects that they will face legal action, insisting that plans for Kenya’s first nuclear power plant in Siaya County will proceed.

Wandayi said the government would not abandon the project amid growing opposition, arguing that the country stood to benefit from the proposed power plant.

“Anybody who is playing games or anybody who is basically doing the bidding of opposing and negative forces, those who want to frustrate government programmes, rest assured we shall handle you appropriately through legal means,” Wandayi said.

Speaking in Mombasa on Sunday, two days after meeting the Senate Energy Committee, the CS maintained that the government had been transparent about its plans and had engaged communities and other stakeholders.

“There is nothing we are hiding. We have gone out to explain to our people and everybody else, all stakeholders, the rationale behind this power project in Siaya, and we shall continue doing so,” he said.

Wandayi acknowledged that members of the public had genuine concerns about the proposed plant, which he described as the first of its kind in the region. He said the government would continue addressing those concerns through public participation.

He, however, accused some opponents of working to frustrate development, insisting that the project would be a game changer for the country.

“Let us support it, all of us,” he said.

Senate Energy Committee chairperson William Kisang backed Wandayi’s position, accusing some activists of mobilising communities against government projects.

Kisang said the committee had met residents living around the proposed site in Siaya about six weeks ago and held discussions on their concerns.

He claimed that some of those opposing the Siaya project had previously campaigned against the plant when it was proposed for Uyombo in Kilifi County.

“The people who are opposing the project, I believe, are the same people who were in Kilifi. When they failed in Kilifi, they decided again to run to Siaya,” Kisang said.

“These are enemies of development. These are people that we need to condemn because we cannot be going to court and opposing everything,” he added.

The Elgeyo Marakwet senator argued that frequent court challenges could slow development, alleging that some activists encouraged communities to reject projects while seeking financial gain.

“There are people who look for money by opposing. And that is the nature of activists. Their business is to incite and make money, and then leave the people,” Kisang said.

Environmental activists, led by the Centre for Justice, Governance and Environmental Action (CJGEA), opposed the plant’s proposed location in Uyombo, Kilifi County, citing concerns about its impact on biodiversity.

CJGEA executive director Phyllis Omido was among those who campaigned against the project at the site, part of which is protected by UNESCO. She argued that the plant would threaten the area’s critical biodiversity.

Wandayi said on Friday that the government remained committed to establishing the plant in Siaya, with stakeholder involvement.

“The government is going to take every possible measure to ensure that it continues, of course with the involvement of all the stakeholders,” he said.

“All the concerns raised, which are genuine, we are going to address them as we move along.”

The CS said the project was making progress and revealed that a government delegation had travelled to Incheon, South Korea, for the International Atomic Energy Agency’s International Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Power, scheduled for October 27 to 29.

The conference brings together international delegations to discuss nuclear energy policies and expansion.

Wandayi also announced that Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) had been appointed as the plant’s owner-operator, working with the Nuclear Power and Energy Agency (NuPEA), Kenya Power and other stakeholders.

The proposed plant is expected to generate 2,000 megawatts in its initial phase.

Wandayi said Kenya had long had the potential to generate nuclear power but was now moving towards realising that ambition under President William Ruto’s administration.

He expressed hope that groundbreaking for the project would take place in Siaya County in the first quarter of 2027.

The proposed nuclear power plant project was originally set for Uyombo village in Matsangoni, Kilifi North subcounty, Kilifi County, but opposition from locals and environmental activists forced the government to reconsider the site and take it to Siaya County, where it is now on course to be established.